eMark said:
... weighs no more than 100 lbs and has operable pedals.
...
Yup its at ~100~102 lbs, and has operable pedals. This was one of my design goals, and was met. Yes, i knew about the 100lb rule. I specifically tried to keep it under 90 lbs with the little motor, and was at ~85lbs all up.. and with the bigger battery and heavy motor, I am right at 100 lbs. I kept a close eye on that 100lb rule. I certainly knew it was there.
I do not worry much about the length of cable runs, it is all 6AWG in the power system.
I come from traditional motorcycling since my XR75 in 1984. All (most all) motorcycles are rear wheel driven, so I am used to that handling. I have the pack so far front so I do not pop wheelies all the time. First time I rode this bike with a backpack battery i looped it and spend the day in the hospital.. so I put the weight forward and as far forward as I could... Then dealt with the wheel travel problems.
I have hundereds of hours, maybe a thousand or two, over near 40 years of riding. ... on real rocket bikes, and love that lurch that you get halfway in the turn flicked in, leaning, and hit the throttle.. and lift the front wheel in the turn.. but it is dangerous. So I try to get the weight dist. as close to 50/50 as I can. It is probally 40% front now, 60% rear, not optimal but still alotta fun. I like a flickable, floppy bar to flick ito the turn fast. This is where you need the traction on the front.. with the distribution or else your front tire just skips over and floats... into the turn. You want it loaded hard if you are leaned into the edge of traction.. something my weight dist. cannot do.
I have been taught that the rear tire is more important for traction, than the front, on a motorcycle. Except when braking in a racing situation. I always try to make sure I have a fresh rear tire, and if I have to make a budgetary compromise, I get new treads on the rear, not the front, if they are both worn out and must replace only one at a time ( budget). Something about how the bike gives feedback with good traction surfaces on the tires. Would rather have a good rear, than a good front, when riding on a frozen lake. An anchor, of stability, so to speak. Rear vs front drive. I am not going fast enough to cup a front tire either. Nothing is pushing that hard.
I rode a stock Super83 today, a ~3500$ pooch of a bike. Right before I tore it down for a customers build ( Mechanic Jp here). All the Super73 stuff is sold. Thing was damn slow and a shaky ride.. unbalanced spoked rims, loud geared hub motor, on a 3500$ retail bike. 900wH battery, 25mph on the flat, 20mph uphill, 30mph downhill bike. Pooch. Brakes were nice but poorly tuned and clacking the spokes on a hard application.
I have had a full speed blowout at 55mph on this bike. I dont ride that fast near the edge of the road anymore. Nope. Tore up the rim, tube got 8 punctures... flapflapflap. Retained control, sliding to a stop, bouncing. Kinda scary but I lived. I thought I was done. Would have been right over the bars if it had been the front tire.
My plan if my bike gets confiscated? Pay a fine.. and.. in the meanwhile...
Get the next one off the wall and go for a ride. I certainly have enough parts here including a Cromotor, 18" rims and tires, frames, and Cycle Analysts. Banshee and Ironhorse frames to choose from. ~6kWh of cells.. and about 6 controllers to choose from. MT5 brakes. Hubs ready to lace. Spokes in a box that fit. Diety bars and Marzocchi forks. Three or four cranks. Waiting for that (possible) day. I have been stockpiling ebike parts.
I really try to go by the notion that if you dont start no shit, there wont be no shit. Stay far away from all highways, and people in general.. and yes it is tough, and I may be tagged some day by an Officer who did not get his morning coffee and needs to take it out on me... I really try not to go full dumbo and go fast on roads with alot of traffic, in school zones, any major roads.
I also have a backup BBS02. Lol.
Something has come up. Some of you might guess what has happened.. but... I will post what happened in about a month, when I know, whether this bike has much longer to live.. Or not. .. but.. lets just say I found some professional help to get me though these hard times... I am having. I have to tear the bike down and fix a few items: Wear is getting bad. Goal is to eventually install the Adaptto MaxE I have here, with its greater current handling and the FOC that might get me up to 70mph loaded. I have to prep for this. We will see. I might just have to build an entirely new bike. Then I am giving up on speed, and building a torky mid drive I think. So far, this (3kW rated) QS motor has taken the 4.5kW just fine and has not been over 55*C on the shell casing. It is a great commuter.
Rear tire, with the (old) V1, 35h, 205, 1000w hub motor lasted almost two whole years of riding full time. With its 17lbs.
This motor, the (new) 50H, 205, with its extra 13lbs... Same rim, same tire, same spokes... ~20mph greater top end speed...
Tire lasted three months. Lol.